International trade and the G7 [What Think Tanks are thinking]

The escalating trade conflict between the United States and other countries and regions, such as China and the European Union, coupled with a capricious outcome of the June 2018 summit of the world’s seven most industrialised economies (G7) have raised a question mark over the US’s continued commitment to the stability of the post-Cold War, rules-based international economic and political order.

The row, which was already affecting stock and bond markets, started when US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports in May 2018, under his ‘America First’ policy.

Now that China and the EU had applied retaliatory tariffs, President Trump threatened to erect more trade barriers, for example against EU-made cars.

This note offered links to a series of recent commentaries and reports from major international think tanks and research institutes on the trade conflict, the outcome of the G7 meeting and the future of the international economic order.

More reports on international trade can be found in a previous edition of 'What Think Tanks are thinking' published in March 2018.

• Primary Source

ECFR: Commentary, 04.07.18: Trump vs. EU: The dead end of the normative approach http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_trump_vs._eu_dead_end_of_normative_approach

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